STEVE CORONELLA: Purple reign: Trump’s majestic style plain to see

In a recent opinion piece, British historian and Hoover Institute fellow Niall Ferguson offered an interesting assessment of America’s current Commander-in-Chief.

“To understand the Trump presidency,” Ferguson suggested, “you need to see that he really is making the United States Great Britain again, albeit unwittingly. Forget the Nixon parallels. The right analogy is that Trump is George III. (No, not George as in Bush. George as in King.)”

Ferguson proceeds to elaborate on the imperial tendencies of the Trump presidency as he sees them, such as the factions and intrigue developing within the Trump “court,” the realization that so much rides on the shifting moods and personality of this “monarch,” and the likelihood that his most dangerous opposition will come not from the press, but from his disappointed countrymen, those flyover voters who once supported him.

Well, I’m glad someone of Ferguson’s stature has finally come around to my way of thinking.

As a near neighbor to the world’s longest-reigning monarch, I believed as far back as last year’s presidential primaries that the American people clearly wanted an Old World ruler, the type who governs with an iron fist and has reliable military counsel on call.

Unlike Ferguson, however, I’ve come up with a less scholarly set of criteria to prove the point.

For starters, the random proclamations of Mr. Trump over the past 12 months — especially during the primaries, when his language was rampant — demonstrate without doubt that the reign of King Donald I has arrived.

There’s the regal narcissism: “My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body.”

The boastful sense of superiority over his subjects: “My IQ is one of the highest — and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure; it’s not your fault.”

The insistence on a reliable royal bloodline: “I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”

And the casual certainty that he is the rightful ruler of the land: “I’m just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?”

Plus, unlike some of his predecessors, who have had to engage in costly land grabs around the world to keep up appearances, Donald I already has his own kingdom, encompassing approximately 500 properties spread over four continents and valued at nearly $4 billion. These include exclusive hotels, golf resorts, and luxury apartments.

Even Queen Elizabeth II — who nominally owns about 20 retail parks, shopping centers and leisure destinations as part of the Crown Estate’s regional portfolio — would have to doff her crown at the extent of such a global empire.

So let’s not fool ourselves. As Niall Ferguson suggests, it’s time to adjust our thinking and acknowledge the reign of King Donald I. Of course, if rule by common consent through an elected assembly is still your thing, perhaps these words from Voltaire might help: “I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species.”

Medford native Steve Coronella has lived in Ireland since 1992. He is the author of “Designing Dev,” a comic novel about an Irish-American lad from Boston who runs for the Irish presidency. His new book is entitled “Entering Medford — And Other Destinations.”